Miranda Smith in action for Capital United F U-17 during their 1-0 victory over Ajax F U-17 at Claudette Cain Park in Ottawa on July 21 2013. File photo

The University of Ottawa will host the Canadian university women’s soccer championship for the first time ever in 2018, the U Sports national organization announced in May.

The event will take place Nov. 8-11, 2018 at Gee-Gees Field, returning a Canadian university championship to uOttawa for the first time in 10 years.

“We have been to 13 national championships in the past and they were all great events. It will be exciting to finally host it ourselves,” Gee-Gees women’s soccer head coach Steve Johnson said in a media release. “This will be a great opportunity for our soccer community to see the best players in the country, and I hope it will help in the development of female soccer in our region.”

Past FC Capital United Ontario Youth Soccer League east division champion Miranda Smith will return after 3 years with the NCAA’s University of Memphis Tigers to aid in the Gee-Gees’ push for their first national title since the year she was born in 1996. Smith currently plays for the West Ottawa Warriors in League1 Ontario.